The impact of COVID-19 on population health is recognised as being substantial, yet few studies have attempted to quantify to what extent infection causes mild or moderate symptoms only, requires... Show moreThe impact of COVID-19 on population health is recognised as being substantial, yet few studies have attempted to quantify to what extent infection causes mild or moderate symptoms only, requires hospital and/or ICU admission, results in prolonged and chronic illness, or leads to premature death. We aimed to quantify the total disease burden of acute COVID-19 in the Netherlands in 2020 using the disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) measure, and to investigate how burden varies between age-groups and occupations. Using standard methods and diverse data sources (mandatory notifications, population-level seroprevalence, hospital and ICU admissions, registered COVID-19 deaths, and the literature), we estimated years of life lost (YLL), years lived with disability, DALY and DALY per 100,000 population due to COVID-19, excluding post-acute sequelae, stratified by 5-year age-group and occupation category. The total disease burden due to acute COVID-19 was 286,100 (95% CI: 281,700-290,500) DALY, and the per-capita burden was 1640 (95% CI: 1620-1670) DALY/100,000, of which 99.4% consisted of YLL. The per-capita burden increased steeply with age, starting from 60 to 64 years, with relatively little burden estimated for persons under 50 years old. SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated premature mortality was responsible for a considerable direct health burden in the Netherlands, despite extensive public health measures. DALY were much higher than for other high-burden infectious diseases, but lower than estimated for coronary heart disease. These findings are valuable for informing public health decision-makers regarding the expected COVID-19 health burden among population subgroups, and the possible gains from targeted preventative interventions. Show less
Hoes, J.; Pasmans, H.; Knol, M.J.; Donken, R.; Marm-Wattimena, N. van; Schepp, R.M.; ... ; Melker, H.E. de 2020
The bivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is highly effective and induces robust serological responses. Using a Dutch prospective cohort initiated in 2009, including 744 vaccinated and 294... Show moreThe bivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is highly effective and induces robust serological responses. Using a Dutch prospective cohort initiated in 2009, including 744 vaccinated and 294 unvaccinated girls (1993-1994) who provide a vaginal self-swab sample, serum sample, and questionnaire yearly, we report a high, persisting antibody response up to 9 years after vaccination for vaccine types HPV-16 or HPV-18. Antibodies against nonvaccine HPV types 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 were lower but still significantly higher than in unvaccinated individuals. This was also reflected in the seroprevalence. We compared participant characteristics and antibody levels between vaccinated women with and those without HPV infections 1 year before infection (204 incident and 64 persistent infections), but we observed no consistent difference in type-specific antibody levels. Having a high-risk HPV infection was associated with sexual risk behavior and smoking 1 year before infection. Although high antibody levels are necessary for protection, our study suggests that on the individual level other factors such as HPV exposure or antibody avidity could be important. Show less
Vos, R.A.; Pasmans, H.; Tymchenko, L.; Janga-Jansen, A.V.A.; Baboe-Kalpoe, S.; Hulshof, K.; ... ; Klis, F.R.M. van der 2020
Background: Incidence and mortality of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers differs geographically, with high rates in Caribbean countries. Seroepidemiological data provide information on... Show moreBackground: Incidence and mortality of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers differs geographically, with high rates in Caribbean countries. Seroepidemiological data provide information on lifetime cumulative HPV exposure and contributing risk factors, but has not been available yet for Caribbean Netherlands (CN), comprising the islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Therefore, a cross-sectional population-based serosurveillance study was performed in this (recently girls-only HPV-vaccinated) population in 2017.Methods: Blood samples from participants (n = 1,823, 0-90 years) were tested for seven high-risk (hr)-HPV-specific IgG-antibodies using a VLP-based multiplex-immunoassay. Risk factors for HPV-seropositivity were analysed among persons unvaccinated aged >= 15 years who ever had sex (n = 1,080).Results: Among unvaccinated individuals aged >= 15 years, overall seropositivity was high (34%), with over half of them being seropositive for >= 2 hr-HPV types, and HPV16 and 52 being most prevalent (13%). Seroprevalence was substantial higher in unvaccinated women (51%) than men (18%), predominantly peaking in women aged 20-59 years, and was highest on St. Eustatius (38%). Besides age and sex, sexual risk factors were associated with HPV-seropositivity.Conclusions: In accordance with the Caribbean region, seroprevalence of multiple hr-HPV types was high in CN. These data corroborate the decision regarding introduction of a sex-neutral HPV-vaccination program and the relevance for considering a population-based cervical cancer screening program. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Show less
An outbreak of measles in the Netherlands in 2013-2014 provided an opportunity to assess the effect of MMR vaccination on severity and infectiousness of measles. Measles is notifiable in the... Show moreAn outbreak of measles in the Netherlands in 2013-2014 provided an opportunity to assess the effect of MMR vaccination on severity and infectiousness of measles. Measles is notifiable in the Netherlands. We used information on vaccination, hospitalisation, complications, and most likely source(s) of infection from cases notified during the outbreak. When a case was indicated as a likely source for at least one other notified case, we defined it as infectious. We estimated the age-adjusted effect of vaccination on severity and infectiousness with logistic regression. Of 2676 notified cases, 2539 (94.9%) were unvaccinated, 121 (4.5%) were once-vaccinated and 16 (0.6%) were at least twice-vaccinated; 328 (12.3%) cases were reported to have complications and 172 (6.4%) cases were hospitalised. Measles in twice-vaccinated cases led less often to complications and/or hospitalisation than measles in unvaccinated cases (0% and 14.5%, respectively, aOR 0.1 (95% CI 0-0.89), P = 0.03). Of unvaccinated, once-vaccinated and twice-vaccinated cases, respectively, 194 (7.6%), seven (5.1%) and 0 (0%) were infectious. These differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Our findings suggest a protective effect of vaccination on the occurrence of complications and/or hospitalisation as a result of measles and support the WHO recommendation of a two-dose MMR vaccination schedule. Show less
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV) may lead to symptoms at birth and long-term consequences. We present a nationwide, retrospective cohort study on the outcome of cCMV up to age 6 years.... Show moreCongenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV) may lead to symptoms at birth and long-term consequences. We present a nationwide, retrospective cohort study on the outcome of cCMV up to age 6 years. For this study we identified cCMV, using polymerase chain reaction, by analysing dried blood spots, which are taken shortly after birth for neonatal screening. The group of children with cCMV were compared to a group of children who were cCMV negative at birth. Data were collected about their health and development up to age 6 years. Parents of 73 693 children were invited to participate, and 32 486 (44.1%) gave informed consent for testing of their child's dried blood spot for CMV. Of the 31 484 dried blood spots tested, 156 (0.5%) were positive for cCMV. Of these, four (2.6%) children had been diagnosed with cCMV prior to this study. This unique retrospective nationwide study permits the estimation of long-term sequelae of cCMV up to the age of 6 years. The birth prevalence of cCMV in this study was 0.5%, which is in line with prior estimates. Most (97.4%) children with cCMV had not been diagnosed earlier, indicating under-diagnosis of cCMV. Show less
Korndewal, M.J.; Mollema, L.; Tcherniaeva, I.; Klis, F. van der; Kroes, A.C.M.; Oudesluys-Murphy, A.M.; ... ; Melker, H.E. de 2015
